The Philadelphia Phillies might have just pulled off a masterclass in how not to handle young talent. In a sport where microscopic tweaks can make or break careers, one team’s bold recalibration may have backfired in spectacular fashion. What was supposed to be a breakout season has turned into a case study in over-coaching—a classic tale of “if it ain’t broke, fix it until it is.”
We often see players and coaches blaming each other for changing their techniques, and it is affecting them in a bad way. This is exactly the case with 24-year-old Orion Kerkering and the Phillies. After the dip in form, MLB insider Jayson Stark blamed the Phillies and did not hold back.
During a show, Stark said, “I did talk to two scouts this week who cover the Phillies, and they think that the Phillies have somehow messed up his slider because it has a slightly different shape now, so the hitters see it so much better.” The one thing that a pitcher can’t have is the batter able to read his pitches with ease, and this change has exactly done that.
Orion Kerkering’s sharp 2.29 ERA in 2024 has ballooned to an unsettling 4.85 in 2025. His once razor-sharp command now wobbles, with walks nearly doubling and strikeouts per nine innings noticeably sinking. Opponents are teeing off more confidently, as evidenced by his home run rate jumping from 0.3 to 1.4. Kerkering’s dominance has unraveled, replaced by inconsistency and mounting pressure on every appearance.
In a league where fractions of inches define legacies, the Phillies might’ve added a curveball—just not the good kind. Tinkering with a young star’s best weapon without clear gain reeks of overthinking disguised as innovation. Kerkering isn’t broken—he’s been “fixed” too much. If the Phillies keep this up, they’ll soon need a bullpen mechanic more than a pitching coach.
Pitch perfect: How the Phillies can fix their arms
They’ve got the bats, the swagger, and the sellout crowds. What they don’t have—at least not consistently—is a bullpen that doesn’t induce weekly existential crises. For an MLB team with October dreams, relying on duct tape and vibes to close games isn’t a sustainable strategy. It’s time for the Philadelphia Phillies to stop flirting with chaos and start building a pitching staff that doesn’t need a prayer and a Tums to finish the job.
If the Phillies are looking to make their postseason push, strengthening their pitching is the most important step. They need to bring in experienced late-inning relievers who can stay calm under pressure and deliver strikeouts. Adding high-leverage arms with postseason experience could instantly stabilize the bullpen and give the team a reliable back-end presence.
The relief pitchers have been a big worry for the Phillies and have been inconsistent this season. They have become a shaky bridge between a solid start and a top closing attempt. Durable arms with low ERAs should be targeted through trades, waivers, or promotions from within the farm system. Depth matters in a long season, and finding under-the-radar relievers who thrive in the 6th to 8th innings is essential.
Other than this, the Phillies must rethink their development and in-game strategy. Overthinking and over-tweaking of pitchers and their arsenal might become a problem, and some of it is already showing.
If the bullpen keeps operating like a haunted house—full of jump scares and disappearing leads—something has to give. The Phillies don’t need miracles; they need a plan, some discipline, and fewer experiments on the mound. Championship teams don’t wing it in the seventh inning. It’s time to trade vibes for velocity and chaos for command.
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